Max du Preez and Claire Robertson were announced as the winners of the 2014 Sunday Times Literary Awards this past weekend. Du Preez won the Alan Paton Award for his book A Rumour of Spring: South Africa after 20 Years of Democracy, and Robertson’s debut novel The Spiral House, won the Fiction Prize. Both prizes are worth R750 000. Veteran entertainment journalist Barry Ronge also received a Lifetime Achievement Award and it was announced that from next year, the Fiction Prize will be named after him.
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The 2013/2014 shortlist for the University of Johannesburg Prizes for South African Writing in English has been announced! The books nominated for the Main Prize are The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes, Sculptors of Mapungubwe by Zakes Mda, Stepping Out by Steven Boykey and Sister-sister by Rachel Zadok. The value of the prize is R75 000. Meanwhile, the Debut Prize is valued at R30 000 and the nominees are Dominique Botha’s False River, Perfect Hlongwane’s Jozi: A Novel, Claire Robertson’s The Spiral House and The Blacks of Cape Town by CA Davids.
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Listening Beautifully is a fundraising event that’ll take place in Cape Town on Monday 7 July for the Children’s Book Network. The organisation was founded by legendary South African writers Gcina Mhlophe and Sindiwe Magona. The event itself is to raise funds to enable CBN to work with children from disadvantaged communities in Red Hill and the Cederberg. It’ll take place at the Centre of the Book on Victoria Street and run from 6:30pm to 9pm. Tickets are R150, include a glass of wine and light snacks and are available here.
